This invention relates to a unique cyclic acetal which is particularly useful for preparing an advantageous diol product upon the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of the hydroformylation reaction product of the acetal.
There are many cyclic acetals which may be hydroformylated and then hydrolyzed and hydrogenated to yield polyols, including diols. These prior art cyclic acetals yield a polyol product containing three or more polyols after completion of the reaction sequence described above. Because the polyols in any such admixture have very similar physical properties, the separation of the mixture into its component parts is extremely difficult in many cases.